Since the early 1990s, American and International
forensic science laboratories and practitioners
have collaborated in Scientific Working
Groups* (SWGs) to improve discipline practices and
build consensus standards.

Since 2014, most SWGs function in a collaborative and
supporting role to the
Office of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic
Science. OSAC is part of an initiative by NIST and the
Department of Justice to strengthen forensic science in the
United States. The organization is a collaborative body of
more than 500 forensic science practitioners and other
experts who represent local, state, and federal agencies;
academia; and industry. NIST has established OSAC to support
the development and promulgation of forensic science
consensus documentary standards and guidelines, and to
ensure that a sufficient scientific basis exists for each
discipline.

In early 1998, the
FBI Laboratory performed a strategic review of all
SWGs. This review determined the need for
administrative and web-based support for the
entire SWG effort. To achieve this, the FBI
Laboratory has worked collaboratively with the
National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC). The
NFSTC has provided assistance with the following:

Developing and
implementing optimal business processes that
will establish and maintain consistency in SWG
organization, life cycle, and business
processes.

Establishing
mechanisms that ensure laboratory management's
strong commitment and support for personnel
participating in and contributing to the SWGs.

Establishing an
infrastructure for effective communication
within and among SWGs and the national and
international forensic communities.

* During the 1990s, several US Government-supported
forensic working groups were formed and
met for one-day to one-week for the purpose of
addressing a specific topic. Circa 1999, the
working group names for long-term working groups
addressing forensic science disciplines were changed
to SWGs to differentiate their activities and
documents from short-term groups.